Think You Have Problems?

Srey Mom grew up in dire conditions at a Cambodian garbage dump. Forced to drop out in the third grade, she hoped to one day land a job.

The third series of the popular ABC television program 'Poh's Kitchen' moves away from the normal format of cooking shows to look at the way food is used to help communities. For the final episode of the series, 'Poh's Kitchen Lends a Hand', Poh visited Cambodia after hearing about the work of Scott Neeson and CCF. Poh visited the Steung Meanchey community in which CCF works -- spending time with some of CCF's older students, preparing food for the food program at the CCF community centre, visiting a local market with a CCF vocational program graduate, and helping to cook nutrient-enriched bread at the CCF bakery.

This is a story of rags-to-riches and back again, introduced by actor Heather Graham. From a working class upbringing in Adelaide, Scott Neeson built a career as a top Hollywood movie executive, promoting blockbusters such as Titanic, Braveheart, Independence Day, and X-Men. It was a glamorous lifestyle, walking red carpets, partying with celebrities and dating models. But after a holiday in Cambodia, Neeson made a deliberate choice to give it all up. Gone are the slick designer suits, traded instead for the cargo pants and hiking boots required to navigate the rubbish dumps of Phnom Penh. He now owns 'nothing' but says he couldn't be happier as he works to help some of Cambodia's poorest children.

Song Title: Hope in an Unclear Future! Edition for Poor Kids! Today, 4:30 Pm, I went to the remote dump which is about 30 minutes from the city. 

Between 1975 and 1979 the Khmer Rouge devastated Cambodia in what is now considered to have been one of the worst humanitarian disasters of the 20th century....

Between 1975 and 1979 the Khmer Rouge devastated Cambodia in what is now considered to have been one of the worst humanitarian disasters of the 20th century....

Between 1975 and 1979 the Khmer Rouge devastated Cambodia in what is now considered to have been one of the worst humanitarian disasters of the 20th century....

Scott Neeson went from being a poor young immigrant in Australia working as a projectionist in a drive-in movie theater to a top Hollywood marketing executive, with a house in Brentwood, a Porsche, and even an actress girlfriend. Between leaving his job as president of 20th Century Fox International and taking an even better job with Sony in 2003, he decided to take five weeks off to travel and ended up visiting Cambodia’s Steung Meanchey garbage dump, which he describes as the “single most impactful moment” of his life. What he saw there left him dumbstruck and aghast: over 1,500 children, many gravely ill, combing 11 hectares of a fetid dump in temperatures of up to 55°C degrees just to survive. On encountering a mother and her two children in dire straits, he decided to help and discovered that, with a relatively small expenditure of time and money, he could change the course of their lives. Little did he know at the time that his act of kindness would change the course of his own life as well, as he soon quit his Hollywood job and moved to Phnom Penh to found the Cambodia Children’s Fund to help more children and families with basic needs such housing, education, and healthcare. Since then, Scott has dedicated twelve years to helping Cambodia’s poorest children, most recently opening an academy where the older ones can study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics on the very site where it all began – the Steung Meanchey dump, which closed in 2009.